Holiness

Isaiah 6 gives us one of the clearest pictures of what it means to encounter God. Isaiah comes face-to-face with the presence and holiness of God. And that encounter led him to recognize his own brokenness, receive the mercy of God, and ultimately be transformed by God.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to clear a path between the presence of God and the people he loves. John’s Gospel puts Jesus’ cleansing of the temple front and center so that we read the entire story in light of this central action.

When David brought the ark of God into Jerusalem he danced before the Lord with whirling abandon. His dance gives us a picture of what life can be, even when suffering: a free and overjoyed expression of worship born of grace.